Thank you for the nomination and thanks to all those who publicly or
privately have sent messages of support.
It is extremely important that end-users have a real and strong voice
in ICANN. Users are the ultimate reason that the Internet exists. It
is end users who patronize online commerce sites, read (and write)
the near infinite number of blogs, cause YouTube videos to go viral,
communicate with friends, relatives and colleagues with e-mail and
social media, and sadly, respond to spam and phishing attacks. The
needs of these users must be considered in the development of
Internet policy. The ALAC and At-Large serve as the advocates of end
users and represent their best interests within ICANN.
I have been involved in user and usability issues for all of my
career, and have now spent close to ten years working with At-Large.
Working collaboratively with my ALAC and At-Large colleagues, we have
transformed the ALAC and At-Large Community into a serious force
within ICANN. However, there is more to do.
I am currently completing my 2nd year as ALAC Chair. My focus over
the last 22 months has included the following critical areas:
* ALS Effectiveness: We have been very successful at increasing
the number of ALSes. Over the last two years, although we are still
actively recruiting ALSes, much of our focus has changed from just
outreach to outreach and engagement, with the intent of increasing
ALS effectiveness, both in telling their communities about ICANN and
where applicable, having them contribute to our policy activities.
Capacity building and briefings on subjects of current importance
(such as the IANA transition) are important parts of this, as are the
regular monthly distributions of understandable information (in
multiple languages) that we are currently discussing. I have no doubt
that the ongoing At-Large Review will play an important part in this.
* Policy Development: We now have more ALAC and RALO members and
leaders actively involved in ICANN policy development and related
ALAC activities. This needs to continue to grow. There are steep
learning curves but it is encouraging that the number of At-Large
members on cross community and GNSO working groups is growing, and
increasingly, people are not just listening but contributing.
* ALAC Chair Viability: As the ALAC transitioned from the
original "Interim ALAC" to the current model with RALOs, the Chair
position became substantially more than a full-time job. That
effectively means that the only person who can meet the demands is
someone who is retired and/or willing to put most of the rest of
their life on hold. This is not a sustainable model. We have made
improvements over the last two years, but there is more to do in
reducing the Chair's involvement through process changes,
transferring responsibility to ALT and ALAC Members and, as
appropriate, to Staff.
* The ALAC in ICANN: When I started in ICANN, the ALAC was to a
large extent considered a joke (and not a good one) and a poor use of
ICANN funds (or registry and registrar funds as they are ICANN main
sources of income and those groups generally considered it "their"
money instead of that of the registrants who actually provided it).
Through the concerted efforts of past Chairs, others in the ALAC and
At-Large and myself, that is no longer the case. If it was still a
perception of some in the community, the recent CWG-Stewardship and
CCWG-Accountability clearly showed that we were a force to be
contended with. It will take constant work to ensure that we continue
to live up to the reputation we now have as a critical and respected
part of the ICANN ecosystem.
Good progress has been made on these fronts, and in a range of other
areas, but not nearly as much as I had envisioned when I became
Chair. This is largely due to the (unexpected) overwhelming workload
associated with the IANA transition and accountability efforts that
has occupied both the ALAC and me over the past two years.
All of these areas will require further efforts and if I am
reappointed, they will be among my priorities. In addition, I am
committed to working to ensure that ICANN understands the value of
At-Large volunteers, arguably the only group within ICANN that has no
self-interests (and along with it no external funding), and reduce
the barriers to such continued participation.
I hope that the ALAC will find that I have served it well over during
my first term and allow me to continue as Chair for another year.
I am available to discuss any of this further. You can contact me via
e-mail at <mailto:alan.greenberg at mcgill.ca>alan.greenberg at mcgill.ca
or to chat on Skype at alangreenberg-mtl.
Alan
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